Author: beth mccallum

writer / reader / candle maker

Book Review (My Dark Vanessa)

.Reading time 12 minutes.

My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell explores victimhood, child abuse, and the decades of pain that accompany such a toxic relationship. In the novel, 42-year-old Jacob Strane grooms his 15-year-old English student until she is manipulated enough to fall into a decade-long affair with him. In this book review of My Dark Vanessa, I’ll explore the […]

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march: the month i faced my biggest fear

.Reading time 7 minutes.

Two years ago, Ali and I sat on the sofa and watched as Boris Johnson advised us to stay home, social distance, mask up and save lives. We listened to the news as the numbers crept up – 30 deaths, 50, 200, 1000 – and we clapped on Thursdays and we made banana bread and […]

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My Postpartum Experience (What I Wish I’d Known…)

.Reading time 26 minutes.

This is my experience of the first few weeks postpartum, some of the scariest days of my life. I don’t know why my body responded like this, and I might not ever know, but I have worked through it and healed – so I wanted to share my story.

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the january that never ended (wrap up)

.Reading time 10 minutes.

I love Januaries. I love Januaries along with Mondays, mornings, the start of a slow Sunday, and other fresh beginnings. I don’t like New Year’s Eve and that celebration, but when I’m in January, I always enjoy it. The unknown looming ahead gives me a pit in my stomach, but the slowness, delicateness, openness of January is always pleasant.  

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30 Weeks Pregnant: 8 Thoughts

.Reading time 23 minutes.

Here are all my thoughts from the last 10 weeks: pain, mental health, pregnancy during a pandemic, body changes, bonding with the baby and more. Warning: it’s a total cringe-fest.

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7 Reasons Why You Should Read “Fingersmith” by Sarah Waters

.Reading time 10 minutes.

Charles Dickens meets lesbian love affair in Fingersmith by Sarah Waters. Two orphans with an interconnected fate find their way into each other’s lives, which ensues a tale of betrayal, love, violence, lies, and scheming. If you’re into the Victorian era but hate seeing a lack of representation in these classics – then this is […]

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